Category / Child Health

by niyaf

Cradle Cap

This is common in small babies, especially under 3 months of age. It is called Seborrheic Dermatitis (Seborrheic Capitis). It may or may not be associated with a separate skin condition called Eczema.

It is NOT a dangerous condition. It is NOT contagious. And it is NOT because of poor hygiene. It doesn’t hurt or harm the baby.

It is caused by over production of natural, water-proofing scalp oil from oil producing (sebaceous) glands of the hair follicle. The excessive oil forms a layer on the scalp and scales off in a yellowish/white waxy crust. The same condition can occur on other hairy parts of the body, eg. Eyebrow.

Home care for Cradle Cap.

  1. Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt or harm your baby.
  2. Gently massage scalp using a thin baby oil. Using the soft tips of the fingers, massage the scalp with a good amount of oil for about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Then wet the scalp with a little bit of water and apply a baby shampoo. Using a soft tooth brush, massage the scalp to create a good lather. Massage for about 5-10 minutes.
  4. Rinse well and dry.
  5. Apply a small amount of a moisturizing lotion to the scalp.

Repeat steps 2-5 daily for about 2 weeks.


If Seborrheic dermatitis occurs on eyebrow:

  1. Gently massage the eyebrow with a cotton bud soaked in baby oil
  2. Wet the eyebrow with a bit of water and then massage with another cotton bud soaked in baby shampoo.
  3. Rinse well
  4. Apply a moisturizing lotion

Repeat steps 1 to 4 daily for a few days until resolved.

When to see a doctor

Sometimes the crusted skin can get infected causing an oozing secretion and redness. This is a condition that will need medical care.

Occasionally, along with crusting, the scalp can become dry and crack up. This may cause intense itching that may need medical care as well.

by niyaf

Children visiting the sick, at the hospitals

Originally posted on 8th November 2008

During the visiting hours at hospitals, we see several kids going in and coming out of hospital wards, visiting members of their  family and friends who are admitted for treatment. Their numbers are not small. I presume, based on personal observations that the numbers are high enough to be concerned about potential pubic health implications of the practice.

Hospitals harbor a multitude of micro-organisms that have the potential to cause deadly infections. A significant number of patients across the world, are known to acquire very severe forms of bacterial infections, and even contagious viral illnesses, during their stay in hospitals. Unfortunately, a very high proportion of them have suffered grave consequences as a result of such infections.

The pathogenic  organisms (those with the potential to cause illness) are found everywhere within the hospitals. The walls, furniture, floor, files, folders, door handles, curtains, TV remotes or almost every other object within the walls of the hospital probably carry enough pathogens to propagate an illness. Most hospitals regularly run bacterial detection tests on swabs taken from such surfaces to study the nature of organisms that are residents of the environment. Local hospitals run such tests from time to time. Such tests invariably detect disease causing bacteria. While it is true that, based on such reports, various disinfection measures are implemented to try to cleanse the area, it is also true that despite the best efforts, these pathogens persist.

It is to this pathogen laden environment that many of our children are exposed to when they visit the sick at the hospital! Children, more so than healthy adults, are likely to acquire infections from this environment, or from the child or adult whom they are visiting. 

I still remember, a few years back, hospitals used to restrict entry to wards of young children to visit the sick! However, today I do not see such a restriction in practice. Several children, including some very young infants will be seen entering the wards as visitor, most with their parents.

Every few months, Male’ has seen one or more outbreaks of infectious diseases, especially among children. Among many other factors, I expect, if studies are conducted, the practice of taking children to hospital to visit the sick, would be a significant contributor to the spread of illnesses in Male’.

Having to take kids to the hospital to seek care when they are sick and unwell is important, but taking them to such an infection prone environment without a clear need for them to be there is irresponsible. While hospitals need to work on improving cleanliness, hygiene and infection safety within their premises for both patients and hospital visitors, we as parent, must too prevent our kids from being exposed to nasty hospital acquired or in-hospital transmitted infections.

I would urge parents to be aware of the potential dangers of this unhealthy practices and put a stop to them in the future. I also urge hospital administrations to review their policies and the implementation of the policies on children visiting the sick at their hospital.

by niyaf

Bronchiolitis

Originally posted on 13 Nov 2008

What is bronchiolitis?

This is a viral illness of the respiratory tract that usually afflicts children of less than 2 years of age. It is characterized by an increased effort of breathing and wheezing following an uppers respiratory tract infection.

What are the symptoms and signs of Bronchiolitis?

Affected children would have a prodromal illness with runny nose and cough for a few days. The illness will be much like a common cold at this stage. Few children may have fever and malaise at this stage. The illness then progresses to involve the lower respiratory tract. This stage is characterized by increasing severity of cough, increased work of breathing and respiratory distress and wheezing.

Is bronchiolitis a severe illness?

In its classical form it may be a very severe illness requiring hospitalization and varying degrees of respiratory support. In the very young, severe illness may result in fatalities. The illness may be particularly severe in those children with congenital heart disease or those with prematurity related lung disease.

What causes Bronchiolitis?

Bronchiolitis is a viral infection. The most commonly identified virus is RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). In western countries where the illness has been studied, there are reports of over 90% of all cases being caused by RSV. Other viruses identified are Influenza, para-influenza and adenoviruses.

Is bronchiolitis seasonal?

In countries with the four seasons, bronchiolitis is predominantly seen in winter. In countries like Maldives an increased number of cases maybe expected during the rainy season.

What is the treatment of Bronchiolitis?

Much work has gone into finding the best treatment for Bronchiolitis at research institutes around the world. In essence what has been agreed upon among the scientific community is that the illness has no specific treatment that acts as a cure. As is the case with most viral infections of the respiratory tract; Bronchiolitis is also best managed with supportive therapy.  Antibiotics have no role in the management and should not be used routinely. No specific antiviral agent has been identified as particularly useful.

Supportive therapy includes use of humidified Oxygen for inhalation, maintaining fluid balance (including use of intravenous fluids where indicated) and monitoring for signs of respiratory insufficiency.

Bronchodilator therapy is used at many centers, initially as a trial and sometimes in the very severely ill children. The most commonly used bronchodilator is salbutamol (ventolin) as nebulisation or inhalers.

Steroids have no routine role and its use in Bronchiolitis is under review at many centers.

by niyaf

Breath-holding spells in children

Original post on 10 April 2007

What is a Breath holding spell?
Breath holding spell is a scary event for a parent to witness. The child suddenly goes motionless, as if lifeless, with no breathing at all. Frightened parents may fear the worst and initiate mouth-to-mouth breaths and even chest compressions.

Traditionally breath holding spells have been divided into 2 kinds. One which is associated with bluish discoloration (cyanosis) of the lips, tongue, face or even the whole body. These are called cyanotic breath holding spells. The other type is called the Pallid breath holding spell. In this type the child becomes pale and floppy during the episode.
In both types there is an inciting factor that triggers the event. This may be a sudden painful experience (fall, injury….), or a sudden startling or an upsetting event (like scolding).

How does the breath holding spell occur?
There is usually a trigger event that initiates the attack/ episode. In very small infants this trigger may not always be noticeable. In most cases this provoking or triggering event causes the child to cry. Very strong, sustained crying leads to progressive expulsion of air in the lungs (breathing out) ending in apnea (cessation of breathing). In Dhivehi language this can best be described with the phrase “romun romun gos hidhun”. Sometimes forceful crying may not be noticed. For instance it is common for the crying to be very brief. There may be instances where there isn’t much or any crying.
In some of the cases of breath holding spells the period of cessation of respiration lasts long enough to cause seizure-like activity with stiffening of the body, jerky movements of limbs and opisthotonus (arching of the back – idhifushah dhemun).

What is the common age when these attacks occur?
Breath holding spells are rare before the age of 6 months. The attacks peak at around 2 years of age and usually disappear by about 5 years of age. It is common for the attacks to occur repeatedly and can sometimes occur several times within a few hours.

Is it something that the child does consciously?
Many experts on these events believe that in older kids the breath holding spell is brought on by the child in an attempt to change their environment and the response from the care-givers in much the same way as temper-tantrums (whether consciously or sub-consciously). With this view many experts believe that in these cases the best approach is behaviour modification by changes in parenting. Interventions such as placing the child safely in bed and refusing to cuddle or carry until recovery is complete has been used successfully.
This approach is not always accepted by parents who are concerned about the events and considers them to be life threatening events. Many parents initiate mouth to mouth breathing and other measures. This is not required in cases where the events are stereotypical and are clearly brought on by the will of the child.
There is some debate regarding the occurrence of the same events in infants less than 6 months. Although it has been documented to occur in this age group, it is much rare and the mechanisms are believed to be different. It is believed to be unlikely that the events are brought on by a conscious effort by the child. The most common observation in this age group is that the child cries very strongly followed by breath holding (which is associated with cyanosis and stiffening or jerky movements of the body). The child would spontaneously recover without any assistance.

Does the event cause damage to the brain?
Brain waves have been monitored in kids who have experienced these events. EEG is invariably normal. Statistically these has been no evidence that there is any increased incidence of epilepsy. There is however an association with behavioral changes in older kids, in whom it is believed that the breath holding spells are the result of behaviour changes and not vice versa.

When should a parent be concerned about apnea?
During a breath holding spell the main concern of the parent is that the cessation of respiration could caused the brain to be damaged because of lack of oxygen. The breath holding episode are usually of a short duration, a few seconds to less than about 1 minute. This may seem a lot longer to a parent or an on-looker witnessing the event. It may be difficult for that person to remain calm and do nothing. However, it has been shown that there is no need to do any thing during this short spell. The best thing that one can do is to place the child safely away from harms way and observe.
Many parents want to know, how long they should wait before doing something to help. If the episode lasts longer than described above, assistance in breathing is usually initiated. There is no convincing evidence whether this is needed or not.


What can be done to help?
Although easier said than done, staying calm is perhaps the best thing one can do. This will enable the person to be more objective. I must emphasize here that there is usually no need to do anything! There will be complete recovery with no long term effects. It helps greatly if one is trained in first aid and basic life support skills.

If there is concern about choking, placing the child over the lap face down and giving a couple of gentle but firm blows to the back between the shoulder blades can help to expel the object causing choking. This maneuver is only helpful if there is choking.

If an object is clearly seen within the mouth it may be removed. However, it is no longer recommended to do a blind finger sweep of the mouth. It could cause more damage.
Gentle physical stimulation may initiate breathing in the child. This can be achieved by flicking the sole of the feet or rubbing the back.

Rescue breaths may be required if the apnea lasts longer. This can be done by placing the helpers mouth over the child’s mouth and nose (if mouth only- then the nose would need to be pinched to close it). It is best if the helper takes a fresh breath just before placing his mouth over the child’s. The helper then blows gently to inflate the Childs’ lungs. this has to be done gently to prevent damage. A couple of breaths may be all that is needed.

When resuscitation is required, the diagnosis of breath holding spells should be questioned. Other causes should be looked for.

More detailed resuscitation should only be attempted if one is trained in life support skills.

What should not be done?
The child should not be shaken! Shaking can cause damage to the brain and the spinal cord. Some people have given chest compressions believing that it helps in re-establishing breathing. Chest compressions (as seen on TV) is used only when the heart beat is slowed or absent. It does not help in breathing. Chest compressions should only be attempted by someone skilled in life support.Water (whether cold or not) should not be splashed on the child.

Consulting the health care provider.
Especially in those cases where the breath holding spell is the first episode, the child is younger than 6 months or when there are other associated problems or events it is important to have the child seen by a health care provider.

What should we expect to see at the end of the event?
With a breath holding spell the child would return to his or her normal self a few minutes after the event passes. There would be no lasting effects on the child. If there is any concern about any physical signs after the event has passed, the child should be taken to the health care provider.

by niyaf

Herpangina

Every now and then, we do come across clusters of cases of Herpangina or Hand Foot and Mouth Disease in Maldives.

Herpangina Ulcer in the mouth. (Picture shared by a parent).

What is it?
It is an acute viral illness in children that causes sudden onset high-grade fever and appearance of painful blisters and/or ulcers over the palate and back of throat. It occurs most frequently in children younger than age 5 but can affect bigger kids too.
It is quite similar to Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD), in which, in addition to the fever and oral ulcers, there are vesicular rash on hands, (elbows), feet, (around the knees, over thighs and buttocks).

What causes it?
It is caused by a virus. The most commonly identified viruses are Coxsackie A (A16, A6), Coxsackie B, Enterovirus (A71) and Echovirus.

How do you get it?
It’s highly contagious and is spread by droplets and via contact with droplet contaminated surfaces. An uninfected child gets the illness when respiratory droplets from an infected child are inhaled. Respiratory droplets are formed during coughing, sneezing and during speech. The virus also gets transmitted when spit or sputum contaminated objects (Eg: Toys) are handled by an uninfected child. Stool contamination (feco-oral) of food and drinking water has also been documented as a transmission mode.

Can we prevent it?
Good hand hygiene; with frequent sanitizer use or hand washing, transmission may be restricted. Also, isolating and keeping affected kids away from others, can limit transmission opportunities.

What are it’s signs and symptoms?
After an incubation period of 3 to 6 days druing which the newly infected child remains well, the illness begins with sudden onset moderate to high-grade fever ranging from 38° to 41° C. Painful swallowing, sore throat, drooling, headache, loss of appetite and generalized un-wellness are common. Small children may become fussy or irritable.

Oral lesions are often present starting day 1-2 of illness and could be used by healthcare workers to identify the illness during an outbreak. They are generally 3 to 7 mm in diameter and surrounded by a narrow zone of redness.

How do you diagnose it?
Diagnosis is clinical, from the symptoms and signs. Blood tests are not required.

Home care:
Hydration and symptomatic treatment are important. Lets the child take plenty of fluids. It may help child to tolerate the fluid better, if it is not warm. Acidic fluids such as citrus juices may sting and cause discomfort.

Paracetamol can be used for fever. Oral pain relieving gels may help transiently reduce severe pain.

As this is a contagious disease, where possible, affected kids can be kept separate from those unaffected.

How long does it take to recover?
Fever usually subsides after 2-5 days. The lesions usually resolve in 1 week without any treatment.

Similar to Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, some nail changes have been seen few weeks after recovery. They recover without treatment.